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Leaders talk about ideals. They express a desire to make dramatic changes in the business‐as‐usual environment. They reach for something grand, something magnificent, something never done before. Ideals reveal higher‐order value preferences. They represent the paramount economic, technological, political, social, and aesthetic priorities. The ideals of world peace, freedom, justice, an exciting life, happiness, and self‐respect, for example, are among the highest strivings of human existence. They're outcomes of the larger purpose that practical actions will enable people to attain over the long term. By focusing on ideals, people gain a sense of meaning and purpose from what they undertake. When you communicate your vision of the future to your constituents, you need to talk about how they're going to make a difference in the world and how they will have a positive impact on people and events. You need to speak to the higher meaning and purpose of work. You need to describe a compelling image of what the future could be like when people join in a common cause
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James M. Kouzes (The Leadership Challenge)